Bulletproof nurses

A material strong enough to stop bullets could eventually protect military nurses. A futuristic exhibit at The Fabric Museum and Workshop in Philadelphia features ballistic materials made by Honeywell Performance Fibers.

SpectraFlex and Gold Flex soft body-armor materials go into the display's Post-Apocalyptic Nurse uniform. The high-strength materials are in the uniform's harness, a yellow backpacklike carryall wrapping around the shoulder and behind to cover a nurse's back. Besides shielding nurses from attack, the harness is used to transport heavy, bulky, dangerous loads.

Ballistic materials made with Spectra fiber also are going into bullet-resistant vests for law-enforcement officers in the U.S. and for about 100,000 troops in Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.